vagaybond's reviews
446 reviews

How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager by D.N. Bryn

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Blood, Murder

Moderate: Self harm, Grief, Death of parent, Murder

Minor: Confinement, Stalking, Murder

One of the protagonists is drugged by the other protagonist, specifically to be kidnapped and taken to a lab where he would be tortured. He doesn't go through with actually dropping him off but he does drive him unconscious in the car.

American Royals by Katharine McGee

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

it's supposed to explore an alt history where the washington family became a royal family instead of having the US be a presidency. they book explicitly says a few times that the monarchy makes more sense and that democracy (not in those terms) feeds the ego hungry. there's a lot of apologia for systems that are corrupt in nature (the foundations of the usa, monarchy in general, etc) in there, and I thought that the way this was framed just didn't make a whole lot of sense. it just kind of seemed like the author was simping so hard for the uk monarchy that they wanted to make an american equivalent, only, with no criticism of monarchy and none of the credibility questioning that exists in the uk today. everyone exists as fans of the throne and there's no real talk about inequality existing in reality. it's just kind of a utopia? they literally shut down a whole hospital for 1 guy and everyone was okay with it and crowded around as fans unquestioning.

it's weird at best

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Classism

Moderate: Medical content, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Terminal illness, Toxic friendship

One minor character is drugged by a former friend at a party and people make fun of her for being passed out.

Gentleman Takes a Chance by Sarah A. Hoyt

racism expected of the era. also could have been gayer and maybe polyamorous but 🤷🏻

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Trafficking

Draw One in the Dark by Sarah A. Hoyt

• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

ngl a lot more racism than I was expecting. like describing people with "exotic features" that allegedly make them more liable to crime?? (honestly can't remember if this was in this book or the second one but pretty sure this one.)

when reading it keep in mind its era and be prepared for people to be described as "oriental"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Torture, Violence

Moderate: Sexism, Kidnapping

Minor: Racial slurs, Sexual harassment

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Kidnapping

Moderate: Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

adventurous dark tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail

The New Camelot by Robyn Schneider

adventurous

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment

Moderate: War

First Down by Grace Reilly

• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

tense

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.5

honestly I forgot most of it pretty quickly other than the fantasy system (how children of gods are created, etc), the prophecy, and the fact that the protagonist just dealt with an enormous amount of physical abuse and marital rape and seemingly had no trauma response about the matter? it felt like these things were written to make the protagonist seem stronger or something, but I didn't feel like her vulnerability was written in such a way as to make me root for her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual harassment, War

Shrink the City: The 15-Minute Urban Experiment and the Cities of the Future by Natalie Whittle

1.25

would love to see acknowledgement and consideration for disabled existental by anyone talking about things like bikes and cars even once, or things like curb cuts and how the disabled "15 minute city" is much smaller than that of someone who isn't. I'm so tired of coming across stairs with a slot for a bike but nothing for my walker. I'm tired of how little these narratives take my existence into account. because they are important things to talk about! the poorest people should not have to live in food deserts, and the poorest people are usually disabled in some way. there's so much talk about ebikes but not how a society that is bicycle-centric does not allow me to use a mobility aid or access public life.

also there was some pretty hideous fatphobia in here. pulling the "obesity epidemic" mythos in order to try and convince you bikes will stop you from being fat, the worst thing in the world to be 🙄

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Classism